"HOW DARE YOU!" one demon roared, her voice echoing through the flaming trees.
"Sister, let's show this lowlife what it means to suffer!" snarled the other, her eyes glowing with infernal rage.
They clasped hands, chanting in an ancient tongue.
Wait—were they casting a combined spell? No… it couldn't be.
I immediately wove a barrier around myself, threads of air and spirit forming a tight shell.
The ground trembled violently. Cracks spiderwebbed beneath my feet, and then—
Boom!
A dozen geysers of molten magma erupted from the earth, lighting the sky with crimson fury.
"HELL'S DOMAIN!" they screamed in unison.
The trees ignited. Magma spewed across the clearing, and even the air itself burned—every breath was agony. I reached for a water thread, but the heat was too intense. Each thread snapped like brittle glass in my grasp.
What am I supposed to do?
My barrier cracked. My skin began to blister from the heat. I turned desperately toward the house—
Cracks were spreading across the protective dome I'd cast earlier.
"Zyler, get out of the house!" I shouted, my voice ragged.
No answer.
Suddenly, a massive force slammed into me from behind, throwing me like a ragdoll. I hit the ground hard, the impact shattering my weakened shield. My vision blurred. My limbs trembled. I couldn't move.
One of the demons stepped through the scorched earth, her spear raised and eyes blazing.
"I will tear you limb from limb, mage, and scatter your soul across the ash," she hissed, walking toward me.
Just as I braced for a world of beating, the clouds parted.
Above us, the sky had transformed—the stars shimmered brighter than ever, and from the heavens fell a sudden meteor storm, streaking fire across the night.
"Master!" Zyler's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
I turned my head. He stood at the edge of the clearing—bruised, but awake—and beside him was a young elf knealing and chanting, her hands glowing with faint blue light.
"I brought help!" he shouted.
Hope surged through me. I forced myself to stand, trembling but resolute. I raised both hands toward the sky and reached into the cosmos.
The stars whispered. The moon sang.
I plucked a silver thread from the moonlight—a thread of Cosmic power—and with the falling meteor storm, I grasped a Celestial thread as well.
I wove them together, slowly, deliberately, with everything I had left.
"Divine Singularity," I whispered.
The sky shuddered.
A sphere of pure white light formed above the demons, pulling in air, fire, and sound itself. The ground shook harder—not from hellfire, but from heaven's answer.
The demons shrieked as the singularity formed, gravity warping around them. They tried to flee, but their bodies were dragged back, their fire snuffed out by the overwhelming purity of the spell.
The sphere collapsed inward with a pulse of light—
BOOM!
A blinding flash swept across the battlefield, and then—
Silence.
Where the demons had stood, there was only a scorched crater. No trace of their magic remained. The flames around us flickered out, and the night was quiet once more.
I collapsed to my knees, breathing hard.
Zyler rushed to my side.
"You did it," he said, eyes wide with awe.
I gave him a weak smile.
Then everything went black.
When I gently opened my eyes, I found myself lying in a field of fluffy white clouds. The sky above was bright, endless, and serene.
Am I dead?
"Thou needn't worry," a soft, angelic voice said from behind me. "Thou art still alive."
I turned and saw a radiant woman floating a few inches above the ground—clearly a goddess, but not the Goddess who cursed me.
"Where am I?" I asked, squinting up at her.
"Thou art in my realm," she said flatly, her voice echoing like distant bells.
"Oh… cool. But why am I here?"
"Thou exhausted thyself," she replied, folding her hands gracefully.
I frowned. "How? I have a large mana pool."
"True," she said gently, "but even the largest lake will run dry if the vessel holding it breaks. Thy body reached its limit."
"Oh…" I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.
She offered a faint smile. "It seems thy time here is up. Thou art waking."
The world around me began to fade into light. I closed my eyes.
When I opened them again, I was lying in bed. Zyler was at my side—and next to him sat the young elf girl.
"Who's this?" I asked, my voice still hoarse.
Zyler jumped slightly and turned toward me with wide eyes.
"Master! You're finally awake!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me.
"How long was I out?" I asked, returning the hug.
"Three days…"
Three days…
"What happened after I fainted?" I asked, sitting up slowly.
"No more demons came," he said, stepping back and relaxing slightly. "We were safe."
"Is that so?" I nodded, then looked at the elf. "Then who's this young lady?"
The elf's cheeks flushed as she bowed her head, clearly shy.
"She's Mayumi," Zyler said with a small smile.
"Thank you for your help, Mayumi," I said sincerely.
She lifted her head just slightly, offering a small, nervous smile.
"Don't be shy," I said, extending a hand. "I'm Diwaon."
She hesitated, but eventually reached out and shook my hand—her fingers delicate and cool.
"Where are you from, Mayumi?" I asked.
"She can't talk," Zyler said quietly.
A mute elf? That's rare… and strange. Why isn't she with her clan?
I reached over to the table, grabbed a piece of paper, and handed it to her along with a pen.
"Here. Write it down. I can understand most languages."
Mayumi hesitated, then took the paper and scribbled something. She handed it back.
I read it slowly. The Pangkat ng Kalangitan…
Ah. So she wasn't mute after all—her clan communicates with their voices only during chants or prayers. Their connection to the heavens is sacred.
"Your kind is rare," I said softly. "Why aren't you with your people?"
I handed her the paper and pen again, but she didn't take them. Her eyes welled up with tears. Zyler moved closer, gently resting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
Then, her voice trembled. "The Demon Lord… and his army… they attacked our home."
As soon as the words left her lips, she gasped and covered her mouth—realizing she'd spoken.
My heart dropped. The Demon Lord wiped out her clan? Was he trying to erase all who wield heavenly magic?
"Are you the only survivor?" I asked.
She shook her head and finally took the pen and paper. After writing, she handed it to me.
She wasn't alone. Before escaping, she saw others—friends, elders—running toward a portal.
"Were you separated?" I asked.
She nodded her head, her breath catching.
"I was injured… I hid in a corner. I saw some of my people escape, but I was too weak to shout. So… I pretended to be dead." Her voice cracked. "I laid there for hours… until the demons finally left."
Pain filled her eyes. Zyler placed a protective arm around her.
"Do you want help finding your family?" I asked gently.
"I can't," she whispered. "The portal closed. It won't open again for a thousand years."
A silence passed between us.
"Then come with us," I said, offering a warm smile. "You're welcome in our journey."
She looked up. "Is it really okay?"
"Of course," I said. "The more, the merrier, right?"
She chuckled softly, her face still red.
"And besides," I added with a playful grin, "Zyler thinks you're cute."
"Master!!" Zyler groaned, his face turning red as he elbowed me lightly.
"Just kidding," I said with a laugh. "Now come on—let's pack what we need."
And so, we gathered our supplies and left the safety of that home behind. Together, the three of us began our journey across the border to the mystical land of magic—
Lupain ng Salamangka.
We boarded a boat bound for the neighboring country. The journey ahead of us wouldn't be smooth sailing. Danger lurked beyond the horizon, and countless enemies were sure to cross our path. I needed to train both of them quickly.
"Master, can you teach me the spell you used to kill the demons?" Zyler's voice snapped me out of my daydream.
"You still need to learn how to fuse threads properly before you can handle that kind of magic," I replied, glancing at him.
"Can you teach me now? I really want to do that spell!" he said, bouncing up and down excitedly.
"I'll teach you after we get off the boat," I said with a small chuckle.
"Another question—how did you even cast that spell? You were grabbing threads from the sky like it was nothing!" he asked, now turning his gaze to Mayumi. "And you were praying in some weird language too."
"I couldn't have done it without Mayumi," I said, giving her a nod. "She used Tinig ng Unang Kalangitan. Right?"
Mayumi nodded quietly.
"Thanks to that prayer, I was able to draw celestial and cosmic threads—from the stars, the moon, even the meteor storm," I explained.
"Woah… I want to learn how to pray like that too!" Zyler said, eyes wide with excitement.
"If Mayumi wants to teach you," I said, laughing softly.
Zyler turned eagerly to Mayumi. "Will you?"
She chuckled and nodded, making Zyler cheer, "Nice!"
Zyler and Mayumi went to the side looking at the open sea.
Mayumi looked young, maybe still in her hundreds? Elves often lived for hundreds of thousand of years—some say they're almost immortal. As for Zyler, being a hybrid, he could very well live a long time too.
Just then, Mayumi gently tugged on my sleeve.
"What is it?" I asked.
She handed me a piece of paper.
So, she wants to learn how to weave celestial magic?
"Weren't you taught by your elders?" I asked, handing the paper back.
She shook her head, then quickly scribbled something and handed it to me again.
She was only taught how to pray and summon?
"If you'd like, you can train with Zyler. Can you already weave the basic elements?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Perfect. I'll teach both of you after we get off the boat."
She smiled brightly and skipped over to stand beside Zyler.
Mayumi… she doesn't realize it yet, but she's truly special.
After some time, we finally arrived at our first stop: Kalakhang Mahikalinangan—the largest magical marketplace in the world. The place buzzed with energy and creatures of all kinds roamed its sprawling streets. From humble magical trinkets to legendary talismans, everything could be found here.
"Woah… that's a lot of creatures," Zyler said, his eyes darting from stall to stall.
"This is the largest market in the world," I said, stepping off the boat. "So don't stray too far, or you'll get lost."
"Okay!" replied Zyler.
"First things first—let's find an inn."